The Internal Affairs Meeting of the Ministry of the Interior held today (12th) arranged for the National Air Service Corps (“NASC”) to report on the “Refined Aircraft Fleet Training Planning Highlights. Minister Shih-Fang Liu said that the NASC has risked their lives and worked in poor weather and harsh terrain during various rescue missions caused by natural disasters, mountain crises, and shipwrecks. In addition to thanking the colleagues of the NASC for their hard work in risking their lives, Minister Liu has also requested the NASC to continue to make progress in improving the professional capabilities and training for pilots. Furthermore, NASC also would continue to strengthen the hardware and equipment maintenance in five bases, namely Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien, and Taitung, to achieve the goal of “arriving at the rescue site within 30 minutes after aircraft takeoff”, in order to demonstrate the spirit of “Accomplish Missions with Safety the First Priority,” and to safeguard the safety of citizens together.
The NASC explained that it carries out important tasks such as airborne disaster relief, search and rescue, emergency medical service, reconnaissance and patrol, and transportation. The NASC has been the only organization responsible for the dispatch and maintenance of public aircraft in Taiwan. Since the establishment of the Air Force in 2004, the NASC has flown a total of 28,874 missions and has successfully rescued 8,326 people. Next year (2025), NASC will formulate a training plan including year-round training, advanced training, and maintenance training for crew chiefs for each type of aircraft fleet, NASC will implement promotion training, new pilot training, night-vision goggle training, simulator training, crew chief training, and survival training based on the needs of each type of aircraft, in order to progressively improve aviation skills; at the same time, we will work together closely with firefighters and coast guards to improve the overall operational efficiency of airborne rescue and disaster relief.
Minister Liu pointed out that pilots are the “soul” of the NASC. It is very important to improve aviation skills and to strengthen pilots' ability in thinking deeply, which relies on weekday step-by-step training and management, so that when pilots encounter different situations, they can immediately make the appropriate decision by combining their aviation knowledge and their understanding on the environment. He emphasized that all pilots should improve their skills and knowledge, strengthen the training for all types of aircraft, and ensure that flight safety is the first priority in order to build a professional airborne rescue flight team in Taiwan.
